BEIT BEIRUT - PRESERVING COLLECTIVE MEMORY IN ARCHITECTURE
SODECO CROSSROADS
WEST BEIRUT CONTEXT: PRE-WAR
HISTORY
EAST BEIRUT
CONTEXT: POST-WAR
CONTROVERSY
PROPOSAL
Located in the heart of downtown Beirut, Beit Barakat once blended
Since its construction in 1924, Beit Beirut has had very contradictory
Beit Beirut is a building scarred by a history of tremendous violence.
seamlessly into its surrounding urban fabric. Also known as the Yellow
uses. Until 1975, it was used for living. From 1975 to 1990 its main use was
Such a historically relevant location calls for program that can readily
House, it was constructed in 1924 by Youssef Aftimos for the Barakat
militaristic. Today, the site is proposed to host a cultural center
accessed by the public. The building’s existing condition of bullet holes,
family. The house is located at what some call the sodeco crossroads, a
remembering the civil war, a past that not every Lebanese is ready to
decay, and other stains of war has an unreproducible and irreplaceable
central point in Beirut both socially, and for a brief stint, militaristically.
remember.
quality that could be described as meditative, tied specifically to Beirut’s
The building is actually composed of two houses, joined by an open
Files found inside of the apartment complex have served to
central axis. This allowed for two separate zones, joined by an open
document the lives that took place there. As an example of the diversity,
Therefore, our proposal is to turn Beit Beirut into a community
corner that aligned with the street edge. This design feature gave
Dr. Nagib Schemali, a Maronite dentist, and his family shared the second
garden. The concept would be to preserve the existing structure as a
remarkable panoramic views of the neighborhood, both from within the
floor with the Fallahas, a Palestinian family. However, this scenario of
pavilion open to the elements.The existing exterior arcade facade
colonnade itself as well as from the adjoining rooms.
cohabitation became the battlefield where those peoples that once
openings that form the corner condition of the building would be used to
cohabitated began killing each other. Thus, the Beit Beirut became a
extend the public narrative of Independence Street. The architectural
trustful representation of the diversity in Lebanese history.
intervention on the existing building would be minimal. Some structural
In 1975, the civil war broke out in Lebanon. The city demarcation line ran right through the city center of Beirut, and additionally, right
history of conflict.
through Beit Barakat. This zone came to be known as the “green line”
With the expropriation of the site, the Association for the Protection
elements would be needed to support the extra, unaccounted for loads
within the first two years of the war, named so because of the trees and
of Sites and Old Buildings earned the right to reuse and convert the Beit
generated by people and plant-life. The floors would be thickened to
grass that grew in the spaces where streets and buildings were destroyed
Beirut in a space of culture and memory.
support the correct amount of soil needed to support vegetation.
and abandoned. The strategic location along the green line made it a
Beit Beirut has spent nearly 100 years steeped in conflicting cultures,
The central void beyond the facade bridge will become a public
prime candidate for a military stronghold. The transparency of the corner
religions, and uses. It is truly a microcosm of the city in which it resides;
garden and meeting space for the community.With this use for Beit
and widespread available shooting angles made it perfect for snipers to
and it is no surprise that even today the use and appropriation of the
Beirut, war will not be profited on, and the value of rebirth and reminder
maintain control over the neighborhood, and by extension, the city.
building is under constant debate and critique.
of a painful history will be a meditative and communal experience.